ORGANIC SCIENCE CLUSTER II  . . . PICTOU-NORTH COLCHESTER SHEEP FUN DAY . . . UNLOCKING FRANCE’S SECRETS TO SAFER RAW MILK CHEESE . . . GENETICALLY MODIFIED FLIES “COULD SAVE CROPS”  . . . OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

ORGANIC SCIENCE CLUSTER II
Source: OACC is pleased to announce the official launch of Canada’s Organic Science Cluster II. With support from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Growing Forward 2 (GF2) program and more than 65 industry partners, the Organic Science Cluster II spans the country and will continue to strengthen the science behind organic agriculture in Canada.

The announcement of Organic Science Cluster II took place today on Dalhousie University's Agricultural Campus in Truro, N.S. From left to right: Tim Livingstone, Organic Federation of Canada; Scott Armstrong, MP for Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley; Dr. Richard Florizone, President of Dalhousie University; The Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; and Dr. Andy Hammermeister, OACC Director, Dalhousie University. (read more)

PICTOU-NORTH COLCHESTER SHEEP FUN DAY
Source: Northumberland Sheep Producers’ Association
The Northumberland Sheep Producers’ Association is hosting its Annual Sheep Fun Day on Sunday, September 7, 2014 at the Pictou-North Colchester Exhibition Grounds. Sheep must be on the exhibition grounds by noon with classes beginning at 1pm and ending near 4 pm. A potluck supper for participants, show donors, and Northumberland Sheep Producers’ Association members will follow in the show tent. (read more)

UNLOCKING FRANCE’S SECRETS TO SAFER RAW MILK CHEESE
Source: NPR
In the English-speaking world, our approach to making cheese for most of the last 60 years has been like a Texas gunslinger’s: kill bacteria, ask questions later. If it’s not pasteurized, it’s dangerous, the thinking goes. But in France, raw milk cheese is a very big deal, long considered safe and revered for its flavor. The country cultivates its 350-plus cheeses – many of which are made with raw milk – like children, claiming that the bacteria in the raw milk impart unique characteristics – grassy, metallic, buttery, and so on. (read more)

GENETICALLY MODIFIED FLIES “COULD SAVE CROPS”
Source: BBC
A type of genetically engineered fly which eventually kills itself off could be an effective method of pest control, according to new research. These male mutant flies have a lethal gene which interrupts female development. They were trialled in a greenhouse resulting in “population collapse.” If released into the wild, they could prevent damage to crops in a way that is cheap, and environmentally friendly, according to the researchers. (read more)